PHILADELPHIA"In Italy, Japan, France, South Africa,
Brazil, Canada, and throughout the United States, thousands
of people have petitioned, organized, and demonstrated in
the streets demanding justice for Mumia Abu-Jamal, an end
to the death penalty, and a new trial. This is one of the
most important political campaigns for justice today,"
stated Pam Africa, chairperson of the International
Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal (ICFFM).
She was speaking before an African-American history class
at Temple University on October 31.

In speaking engagements across the country to build for
an international day of protest November 6, Africa insists,
"In fighting to save the life of Mumia Abu-Jamal you are
not fighting simply for him, but you are fighting for
yourselves."

This case has brought international attention and
pressure against the racist nature of the death penalty,
which, as Abu-Jamal says, "is the fastest growing housing
track for African-Americans in the country today." The
campaign to free the Pennsylvania death row inmate is
exposing the racist nature of the entire judicial process,
stated Africa.

Abu-Jamal was convicted in 1982 of killing Philadelphia
police officer Daniel Faulkner and has been on death row
ever since. The battle for his freedom is currently
focusing on winning a new trial.

On September 15, despite compelling new evidence, Judge
Albert Sabo issued a ruling rejecting Abu-Jamal's appeal
for a new trial. Sabo presided over Abu-Jamal's original
trial. He is notorious as a "hanging judge" who has
sentenced twice as many people to death as any other judge
in the entire country. Most of those Sabo sent to the
executioner's chair - 27 out of 32 - were Black.

Abu-Jamal's lawyers presented testimony contradicting
the original 1982 evidence the cops used. A host of new
witnesses said that Abu-Jamal was not the man who shot
Faulkner. Expert testimony was presented refuting the
ballistics evidence of the prosecution. The defense also
presented evidence of police brutality and harassment.
Judge Sabo summarily dismissed the entire claim, stating,
"The petitioner fails to prove by a preponderance of the
evidence each and every claim presented to this court."

Abu-Jamal's hearing took place alongside the exposure of
decades of criminal activities in the Philadelphia police
department and highway patrol.

Six cops in the 39th District admitted to framing people
up, lying, beating "sus-pects," and planting evidence on
innocent people. Judge Sabo, in his 154-page brief denying
Abu-Jamal a new trial, stated, "Petitioner failed to
sustain his burden of proving that the police `brutally
beat' him or `hurled racial epithets at him.' No witnesses
were coerced or intimidated, nor is there any evidence that
these nonexistent events were `part of the Philadelphia
Police Department's pattern and practice.' "

Sabo's decision is being appealed to the Pennsylvania
Supreme Court.

"A national and international campaign forced Judge Sabo
to lift the August 17 execution order and grant Mumia a
stay. Now more than ever we must keep the pressure on, no
matter who's in office, to assure our brother gets a new
trial," said Africa.

Support for the struggle to free Abu-Jamal is growing
among college and high school students and other youth.

Theresa Goodlowe of the ICFFM said in an interview that
a recent tour of campuses in Ohio to build the November 6
rally was very successful. Students from all backgrounds
and nationalities were eager to support the case, she said.
Groups from Antioch and Oberlin are bringing vans to
Philadelphia for the rally.

At Temple University, Goodlowe said, a student asked,
"Why wasn't this a big focus at the Million Man March? This
is something we all should be involved in." In a law class
at Swarthmore College, another student said, "This case is
obviously much broader than Mumia. This goes to the heart
of the judicial system in this country."

At Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey,
students invited supporters of Mumia Abu-Jamal to come and
speak. The campus newspaper had run a front-page article
entitled, "Mumia Must Fry Now!" The article covered the
case from the view of the cops and prosecution only. After
Africa spoke and gave the facts of the case, many of the
students, most of them white, organized to remove all the
issues of the newspaper from campus.

At Rowan College, University of Delaware, Boston
University, and other schools, student groups are
organizing to bring buses, vans, or carloads to
Philadelphia to participate on November 6 .

Local events are also planned in New York, Pittsburgh,
and other cities on November 6.